Is it really worth it?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hey</p>

<p>Throughout my college search I have developed an interest in such schools as Cornell, Northwestern, and UPenn. However, as a North Carolina resident I have to take a hard look at UNC - Chapel Hill. My profile should be good enough to secure my spot in Chapel Hill and have some sort of shot at the aforementioned schools. While, UNC is not my top choice, it is a school I would not be totally against attending (I would rather leave the state). My question to you all is, is it worth the immensely greater debt to attend one of the more "elite schools?" And while I know UNC is an amazing school, will attending it hinder my opportunities to attend a top law school (Preferably T-14)? Also, if I do not decide to attend law school, what will job prospects be outside of the South-Atlantic region (Most notably in the Northeast)?</p>

2

<p>The most critical element in your application for law school is your undergraduate GPA; not necessarily where you got your B.A. degree. Just look at the admissions results at the elite law schools. The admittees are from all over. Places like CUNY (New York) send a handful of grads to Harvard Law every year.</p>

3

<p>Don't assume that the other colleges would cost more. For me, Duke and Wake Forest were cheaper than UNC in-state, and Hopkins, Davidson, and Chicago were only slightly more expensive. Apply to UNC EA as well as the others.</p>

<p>Harvard law: <a href="http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.harvard.edu/admissions/jd/colleges.php&lt;/a>
Yale law: <a href="http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/bulletin/html/law/students.html&lt;/a>
Georgetown law: <a href="http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/jd_profile.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/jd_profile.html&lt;/a>
Chicago law: <a href="http://www.law.uchicago.edu/academics/announcements_2006_2007.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.law.uchicago.edu/academics/announcements_2006_2007.pdf&lt;/a> (page 141)</p>

4

<p>My EFC is to high to receive a substantial amount of financial aid from any of the other schools.</p>